Traveling block



Aug- 6 1940- o.v DUDA TRAVELING BLOCK Filed Feb. 2e, 195s l l I l l l l l T J 1 @ewa/d Duda. SWW/W0 @am 662m@ @0M Patented Aug. 6, 1940 *UNITEDp STATES PATENTvk OFFICE j *j 2,210,202 l f l,

-k TaAvELiNGBLooK-fb y Oswaldlludm Corsicana, Tex., as'signor to-Ainer'- y ican Well & Prospecting Companyyafcorpora-r YApplication February 26, is'sslsefrial No. 192,718

' 1 Claim.

My invention relates to sheaves or traveling blocks such 'as are employed in hoisting mechanism for lifting loads. Itis particularly adaptedlv l for use as a traveling block in oil field operations` in which the loads tobe handled arelargely pipev and the like. f

In the use of sheaves or traveling blocks of thisv character astrong steel .cable is employed and it is desirable to thread vthe cable over each separate pulleyhortsheave -in the traveling block in an expeditious manner, The usual method of threading the cable over the pulleys of the block is to remove the housing from about the pulleys and expose them in such manner that the steel cable may be forced around the pulley and seized upon the opposite side and brought upwardly for engaging over the upper crown block or sheave on the derrick. To disassemble the traveling block for the purpose of threading the cable there- 'through is a troublesome and time-consuming operation which is to be avoided if possible.

It is an object of my invention to provide a guide around the lower side of each of the pulleys in the traveling block so that the cable will contact with the guide and be forced to travel in a path around the pulleys and to project from the opposite sides so that it may be easily handled.

I desire to provide a guide for the cable which is` so mounted that the cable may be extended' about the separate pulleys quickly and without removing any portion of the housing for the block.

The invention consists particularly in the features of construction of my device which make it possible to thread the cable through the block in the manner recited and reference is made to the drawingy herewith for Aa better disclosure thereof.

In Fig. 1 I have shown a side view partly in elevation and partly Vin vertical section illustrating the construction of my cable guide.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation at right angles to the view shown in Fig. l with a portion of the housing or guard broken away and the parts in central vertical section showing the use of my invention.

My device is adapted to be used upon any ordinary type of traveling block. I have shown a form of traveling block in some detail but it is to be understood that the device is intended for use generally upon blocks of this character.

In the drawing herewith the pulleys or sheaves I are mounted for rotation on a transverse shaft 2. Said shaft 2 is mounted in a frame including two opposite side plates 3 which are of strong steel plates and furnish a rm support for the shaft.y Between the two side plates 3 are intermediate plates I which act to strengthen the device and also to.` separate each individual pulley from, the adjacentpulley or sheave. There will be asmany of these yintermediate plates or webs `d as'arenecessary in the formation of the par- 5 ticular block involved. y

At each end the side plates and the Aintermediate plates are formedwith openings to receive altransverse'pinQS .at theupper-end and 6 at theflwenfend. .'The upper pin 5 is-,extended 10 through `rtliesaid plates which are separated by spacers l. The plates and spacers are locked in assembled position by a nut 8 upon the shaft which may be held against rotation by a Cotter pin 9.

At the lower end the transverse pin 6 is extended through the plates in the same manner as has been described. Spacers I0 are employed to separate the intermediate plates but the two outer plates are spaced from the adjacent plate by a clevis or hook I I, said clevis extending down below the transverse pin and serving as a connection with the swivel or other load. Between the two upper arms of the clevis I prefer to use a sleeve orbushing I2 as a spacer between the 25 arms of the clevis. The pin 6 is held in position by a nut I3 and cotter pin I4 in the usual manner.

As is desirable in traveling blocks of this character the sheaves and plates are housed about by a casing or guard I5. In the embodiment shown 3o the housing is formed in two side sections which overlap the side plates` 3 along their inner margines and the sections of the housing are held in position by through bolts or pins I6 at the upper and lower ends. At the sides of the housing adja- 35 cent eachof the pulleys there is aslot indicated at I'I formed in the housing to allow the cable to run therethrough and over the pulleys. These slots extend from the kupper end of the housing down short of the shaft 2. This housing forms a 40 guard which shields the operator from contact with thepulleys and also protects said pulleys from contact with other objects in use which might damage them.

The end of the cable is intended to be inserted through the slots I'I about the pulleys and in order to guide the end of the cable around the pulley I form upon each of the spacing plates 4 an arcuate guide member indicated at I8 in the drawing. With reference particularly to Fig. 1 50 it will be noted that this guide member is formed integral with the spacer 4 by means of welding or otherwise and extends from the side of the plate laterally in the arc of the pulley and into 4contact with the side wall of the housing at I9. Ihe

larly valuable.

guide I8 is preferably reenforced somewhat on its lower side by webs 20 so that there will be no danger of breakage in the handling of the cable.

As will be noted from Fig. 1, the partition plates 4 are not the full width of the housing but form and by rotating the pulley the cable may bel drawn around the lower end and forced upwardly so that it will protrude from the opposite slot I1 where it maybe seized and drawn through the traveling block and then extended upwardly over the crown block and back again to the travelingblock. Each time the cable may bev threaded around the pulley in the housing in the manner stated.

This construction of my improved traveling block which enables the cable to be threaded around the separate pulleys of the block is a time and labor saving device which is particu- It will not be necessary to remove any portion of the housing from about the block and it has been found to be particularly easy to force the end of `the cable around the pulley in this manner and the time consumed is slight. It will be obvious also that the guide member retains the cable in spaced relation close to the pulley so that when the line is slack there is no tendency of the cable to move away from the periphery of the sheave. The further advantages of lthis device Will be obvious.

What is claimed is:

A traveling block construction including a block having a plurality of Vspaced separator plates therein, a flange extending laterally to one side of each separator plate, a web beneath each angeconnecting the flange to the plate and to reenforce the flange, a cable sheave rotatably mounted in said block adjacent each plate and above each flange, each flange being curved to follow-the periphery of said sheave, and guard casings, one on each side of said block enclosingsaid sheaves and plates to overlie the edges ofsaid sheaves and abut the ends of said flanges, and-slots in the upper portion of said casings at'the edges of the sheaves so that a cable being reevedl thru said block will move down along the casing to engage said flange and then along the flange around the sheave to be guided upwardly by the opposite casingY to the opposite slot.

OSWALD DUDA. 

